


To Deviate

by KissMyScythe



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29039448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KissMyScythe/pseuds/KissMyScythe
Summary: "To deviate from the path of normalcy, forges the true heart of a warrior, "her grandfather told her at a very young age, before she could truly appreciate what he said. Toka would find that the world she was born into was not made for her, but wouldn't stop her from molding it into her liking. Follow Toka on her journey as she rises from the ashes of her bloody past. (Kakashi/OC)
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Our Story Begins

Chapter One

Drip. Drip. Drip.

She awoke to darkness, as was usual.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Though, she wouldn’t remain in such a state. While in the conventional sense, she was blind, yes. Her eyes, though, were very special. 

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Her eyes, along with the rest of her clans’, could be so much more. Chakra is in every person, ninja or not, and she could see it even in its weakest form. She could see the basic components of someone’s being. Their strength. Their soul.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Though the road to mastery of this particular dōjutsu is near impossible for the average ninja, the Okazaki clan has built the will to survive into their way of life. Even young Toka, at the age of five, understood what it meant for her if she was unable to successfully wield and adapt her eyes for the life of a shinobi. She must be faster, stronger, and more perceptive than her opponents. She must be alert. She must outwit them. And she must survive!

SPLASH.

And that often meant she must be pestered by her older brother; her most intrusive and annoying inspiration.

The small girl squealed and rolled off the side of her bed, her entire upper body soaked in water. She blinked her eyes hazily, swiping at her hair and clothes as she took a moment to focus on her surroundings.

“YORI, ITS SUNDAY,” she wailed after realizing the culprit was none other than her older brother. It was Sunday, meaning according to their grandfather, there was no training and she was allowed to sleep in.

“So?”

“So?! I’m going back to bed.”

“You can’t, it's all wet.”

Though she couldn’t remember a time where her brother allowed such a thing.

Toka felt around on the surface of her futon to find that it was indeed soaked. She sighed, defeated as she stomped her way past her brother, dragging the much-larger-than-her futon outside to hang dry.

Still stomping obnoxiously, she made her way to her brother, who she sensed was in the kitchen based on his movement.

“Breakfast,” she demanded, angrily. He chuckled, and ruffled her hair. “Sure, better eat before we start training for the day!”

“Jiji said we don’t have to train today,” she whined, knowing full-well arguing was futile.

“Look around little sister, do you see him anywhere?”

“Well no, I can’t see anything.“

“Ha. Ha. So funny, never heard that one before. “ Toka beamed at her unclever joke. 

Yori recovered and continued, “I’m in charge, and that means we have to do what I say! It’s not like you had anything to do today since you don’t have any friends,” he mocked.

“That’s because I’m always training!” she defended herself. Toka rested her forehead on the table in disappointment, her plans of sleeping in and laying around all day having been foiled. 

She heard Yori turn on the stove. “How’s eggs sound?”

“You always burn them!”

“Well yeah, how else would I know they’re done?”

This is why their grandmother cooked everything, being the only member in their family with sight. When the rest of them attempted, it was nothing short of a miracle if they didn’t burn the food, the stove, or themselves..

They had gone through approximately four stoves due to Yori’s insistence he could figure it out. 

Spoiler: The eggs had the consistency of crunchy leaves and tasted like dirt.

Toka drowned burnt eggs in soy sauce, attempting to ignore her overbearing brother for the time being. Complaining wouldn’t make them taste better, and it wasn’t like she could do any better. Though, oatmeal or porridge would have been a tastier alternative at this point, but it was too late for all that.

“So, uncle said he might start allowing me to come on missions with him.”

That got her attention.

“What? I thought you had to be assigned?”

“Yeah? And? Uncle is on the council. He can probably do what he wants.”

“But uncle is a Jounin! Isn’t that dangerous?”

“...”

“Yori?”

“I- uh. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Wha-”

“The Tsuchikage appointed me as a Jonin last night. I took the trials last week and they decided I was fit for the promotion. It’s not that big of a- Oof!”

She was curious as to why her brother seemed to be missing most of the previous week. It was understood by their people that the Jonin trials were to be taken in secret, and if unqualified, could take a ninja’s life. Yori, however, was more than qualified. Even at his age of 16, he could have taken them the year prior if it weren’t for the persistence of their grandfather to wait just a little bit longer. 

Yori, in so many words, was a prodigy. And despite his overzealous personality, he was very humble about this fact. Something that was taught to them at a young age: overconfidence will get you killed. Their blind spot was everywhere, and nowhere. Their sight was a gift and a curse, and it didn’t matter how good you are, or how much you know, your opponent most likely possesses your greatest weakness: sight.

So the fact that her brother, her mentor, had succeeded in something that seemed impossible to Toka, brought her a great deal of pride and happiness.

She jumped up and hugged her older brother, congratulating him, momentarily forgetting the start of her morning and the burnt eggs.

“I’m so happy for you! I can’t believe you finally got it!” 

“I’m glad you think so. That means we need to amp your training up by one hundred percent since I won’t be around as often!”

Toka tried to push out of his grip and attempted to pull at his hair, closely resembling an angry cat.

Later on that day, Yori and Toka were out in a clearing behind their home.

Her normally loud and obnoxious instructor had taken to silence on their way to train today, though she didn’t particularly mind. It was calm, and she did her best focusing in quiet. She was mildly curious if he had planned on meditating today like they had in the past. Those sessions were her favorite of their-  **_THUNK_ ** .

Toka was then hit in the head with a small rock with enough force to leave an angry red mark on her forehead.

“What the heck?!” Toka yelled, rubbing her forehead.

“You’re bad at dodging.”

Well, she  _ is  _ blind. “And? Am I supposed to be good?”

Yori gestured wildly in vain, “That’s why!” 

She was starting to get frustrated, “I don’t get it!”

“If you feel sorry for yourself and make excuses, you’ll never be a ninja!”

“It’s not a bad excuse! I just don’t get it!”

Another rock hit her forehead.

“Hey, cut it out!” she cried angrily.

“Can you make me?” He threw another rock, slightly harder this time, hitting her shoulder.

“No…” Toka was in no way able to fight against her brother, a now Jonin.

He smirked, deciding this was the only way he could teach her. The will to survive was a great teacher, something his father had instilled in him growing up.

Toka knew where this was going and started to back away from him slowly. 

“Then run.”

Like a flip of a switch, she took off toward the rocky terrain.

Training with Yori was harsh and fast paced. He didn’t have much patience for incompetence, but that’s what made him such a great teacher. Thankfully, Toka was usually able to keep up with his methods out of fear of disappointing her brother. While sometimes the bane of her existence, she often found herself looking up to him and trying to be like him. Yori also noticed this and tried to be the best role model for his impressionable sister, taking on the role of watching over her and her development their grandparents and uncle didn’t have time for.

Every time she would hide, no more than two minutes went by before she felt a hand on her shoulder, removing her soul from her body with his silent attack. He would then make a sword noise, ‘shing,’ followed by his thumb running across her throat, or his fingers poking into a vital point on her back and spine to simulate her would be demise. Another onslaught of nature would come after as she sprinted back into the brush of trees and boulders, attempting to minimize his hit rate.

While most of Iwagakure had very little to no trees or coverage, their compound had a nice-sized forest behind it. Due to their affinity for nature and the like, this spot was fought for and won by her ancestors. This was mostly due to their pact with the local wildlife and the Earth itself. She would sometimes overhear her clan labeled as “hippies,” whatever that meant in the Land of Earth. Besides, they were probably jealous they weren’t gifted by mother Earth with a cool dōjutsu like they were.

After a couple of hours, Toka started to get the hang of it. She began to figure out how to use her other senses to determine when objects were approaching her. While not having sight was a huge disadvantage, it was also the most fickle of the senses; easily deceived and taken away. If she couldn't hear the movement of air, smell the disturbance of earth, or the singe of embers, feel the atmosphere heavy with water; she would fail. 

And she wouldn't just pay with her pride; she would pay with her life. 

And, unfortunately, she had no other option. That was just the way the world worked for respected ninja clans. He was preparing her now for what would eventually be so much more. Yori was the heir, and a prodigy to boot. Their community would expect even more out of her, and he wanted her to be able to hold her ground. 

And damned if he would allow her to fail.

She was laying on the ground, out of breath and exhausted. She had used a lot of chakra exploiting her seismic sense.

“You’re still bad,” he said standing over her, nudging her arm with his foot. She couldn’t see it, but he was looking down at her with a prideful look. She had made a lot of progress, nearly dodging half of his attacks by the end of their session.

Toka scowled, “Gee, thanks.’

“You’ll get better with more practice,” he assured, helping her up. She had actually caught on faster than he had originally when their father had used the same method on him, but knowing his sister, he couldn’t tell her that, or she wouldn’t work as hard. 

They walked back to the house trading jabs and kicking up dirt ,pushing each other playfully up the path.

“Oh, you've finally come to join your poor grandmother for dinner!” an elderly woman greeted them in the kitchen in a mock offended tone as she steamed dumplings.

Yori and Toka laughed nervously. 

“We’re sorry baba, we got caught up in Toka’s training. She was really slow,” Yori deadpanned, blaming Toka.

“What?! You were throwing giant rocks at me! _For_ _hours!_ ”

“Hm, you both can make it up to me by setting the table  _ and  _ cleaning up the mess you left from breakfast,” she said with her arms crossed, glaring directly at her grandson. He could sense her dark feelings. 

A chill went up his spine. 

Thankfully, her hands were full, so it wouldn’t be followed up with a mild concussion. 

“Sorry about that…” Yori apologized sheepishly.

“Mhm, sure you are.”

“Are Jiji and uncle coming home tonight?” Toka wondered. It had been three weeks since they had been home, having been assigned on a mission outside the village. Toka thought to her brother, recalling the handful of times she had seen either of the men the past few months. She hoped he wouldn't end up on very many missions like that.

“Unfortunately no. Tomorrow morning is the earliest they should be home from what they told me,” their grandmother said sadly. She worried for her husband and son, knowing everything and anything could go wrong. She had once been a very active ninja back in her day, a chunin at the least; not that she talked about it very often.

“I made your favorite, Yori, as a congratulations. I’m sure your uncle and grandfather already know and will have something for you worthwhile when they get back,” she said apologetically.

“No baba! This is great! Thank you!” he said with a smile. His mouth watered when the savory aroma hit him. Home cooked meals by his grandmother were one of the few things in this world he didn’t think he could live without.

Toka dug into her meal heartily, finding herself ravenous.

“If you don’t slow down, you might choke!” their grandmother scolded.

“Ah, but I’m so hungry! I’ve barely eaten today, especially with nii-san’s cooking!” she whined. 

Yori crossed his arms and pouted, “Well if that’s how you feel,  _ imouto _ , you can just starve next time!”

“I could have just eaten the grass outside, it would've probably tasted better,” she mumbled bitterly at the memory of her charcoal eggs from that morning.

“Well I made plenty considering your brother is a never ending pit.”

“Hm?” Yori made a sound of acknowledgement with at least two dumplings in his mouth.

Grandma Gin shook her head at her grandchildren.

They finished dinner with little conflict between siblings due to them stuffing their faces (and fear of upsetting their scary grandmother), and cleaned up relatively quickly. Toka was exhausted and decided to turn in for the night, hoping the rest of her family would return home very soon, safe and sound. 

  
  



	2. Brewing Storm

***Authors Note: Hey guys, Scythe here! This story might be familiar, and that's because I hate myself. After rereading this after a short break, I hated some of the parts written and couldn’t continue until I rewrote some of it. I’m still not entirely pleased with what I have so far, but that’s being an author for ya! I probably need a beta, but… let's just say I’ve been burned in the past. I promise not to lego smash this story again, it’s staying up whether I like it or not. 

Expect the next chapter to be out sometime next week! Feel free to criticize whatever, just don't make me cry, ok? (P.S. There’s some potentially au/noncanon lore in here about summons. If anything seems array, pretty please turn the other cheek. -3)***

Chapter Two

They didn’t come home the next day.

Or the day after.

Or the day after that.

Yori had contacted the moles, specifically Daiki, to find out what was keeping them, but they were unable to report anything of note about the missing Okazaki clan members.

The Okazaki clan wasn't only known for their ability to see what could not be seen, but also their exclusive contract with their world's most stubborn summons: the giant mole. 

The moles are a proud colony, being very picky and untrusting of all humans. They feel they are too inconsiderate and unthankful of their home: the earth. 

The story goes: the moles were approached by the bastard son of Kaguya Otsutsuki, Ryuunosuke, after being abandoned by his mother when she realized his lameness and deemed him worthless. At the tender age of seven, he walked the land until he mastered the only element he could see (in a way): earth. It was the only thing he could rely on, and the only being that would 'speak' to him. The earth was his only caregiver- feeding him with its fruits, bathing him in streams, shading him from the hot sun, and shielding him from the cold underground. 

To escape the cold and wildlife, he buried himself in underground tunnels he made by moving the earth with his chakra. He found he had to try very little to bend the earth to his will. After several years of living nomadically, he knew every meter of what is known as the Land of Earth. One day, he was approached by the elusive Daiki, a rather large mole who admired his perspective, one that was much different than other humans. The mole found their ways of life to be very similar, and decided to watch the man, and accompany him on his endeavors, caring for him in a way.

The man did not know of Daiki’s true nature, not completely understanding that they were more similar in nature than originally thought. Daiki and his kind were elusive not only because of their distaste for humanity, but also due to their ability to wield chakra.This was because of the nature of their existence, their dimension directly feeded of this one’s earth. Depending on the mole, they could do as little as sprout a hill, to cause an earthquake- everything in balance, and always in moderation or defense. Humans were well known for taking too much from their ecosystems, and the moles took it upon themselves to provide a foil.

After years spent, Ryuunosuke and Daiki bonded. Daiki and the other moles, decided to tie themselves to this man, and specifically, his chakra. The moles were confident those possessing this bond with the earth could be trusted with their allegiance, and so anyone who were to meet these prerequisites would have the ability to summon them for aid.

In present day, Daiki or any of the other moles have not aged due to their nature, but serve the refreshed clan of Ryuunosuke, the Okazaki clan.

In his noticeably low and serious voice, Daiki gave his report on the two elders of the dwindling clan’s most recent mission.

“I’m under strict instructions to keep Hisoka and Ikki’s locations classified. You are not to know where they are nor what they are doing. That is all,” he relayed professionally.

Yori was quiet, and then nodded in understanding, “ok.”

“What?! What if they’re hurt! Or in danger!” Toka cried, outraged.

“They’re alive. That’s all that matters,” he said with a tone of finality.

“But-” she wanted to argue, but Yori was not having it.

“No. You need to learn,” he started. Toka was young, but not naive. He would not allow her to act so immature. “They’ve been on long missions like this before. Sometimes, shinobi go on missions that are so classified, even- no especially their families can’t know,” he crouched down to her level and rested a hand on his shoulder, the pressure forcing her to focus her attention on him and what he was trying to tell her, “do you think you could withstand torture?”

Toka noticeably flinched, her face contorting, and swallowed heavily at the thought. Their grandmother on the other hand, looked on at the scene in approval. Yori was being harsh, but it was needed. Her youngest grandchild needed to think about these things at all times. Even the smallest and seemingly overlooked actions could put their lives in danger, especially hers being the youngest and weakest member of their family. She was thankful for her grandson having this conversation with her. It was times like this she mourned her son internally, as Yori acted so similar to her late Tadashi sometimes, he could be his clone.

“I-I don’t know,” answered truthfully.

Yori stood up and turned to walk toward the house with a heavy sense of authority hanging in the air, ”then until you’re ready to die for this clan, for your comrades, you will not be bestowed such information. And you won’t ask for it either. For your sake.”

“Y-yes, nii-sama.” Toka hung her head low, the rightful feeling of inferiority washing over her as she got her emotions in check. Her brother had once talked about the Ninja Code, and one of the rules was to remain emotionless. And while Yori had instilled in her that loyalty and teamwork were essential traits of a respected shinobi, one could not allow their actions and thoughts be clouded by personal bias and upset feelings. Not in their way of life.

She was also upset she had missed the hidden message in Daiki’s report: ‘Their location must remain a secret, but they were alive.’ It told them much more than they deserved, and depending on what they were doing, even that little bit of information alone could be dangerous.

Because Toka didn’t know if she could withstand torture or potentially face her own death over information. While exceedingly intelligent for her age, she was barely five-years-old.

A few weeks went by and Yori had been continuing Toka’s training as usual, as he was barred from missions until his grandfather and uncle returned. Their absence made him the temporary clan head, which meant he had to stay at home to watch over the family for guidance. Yori had been raised for this role, and at sixteen, he was ready to take it on at any time. Today, they were practicing slightly advanced earth ninjutsu.

He thoroughly enjoyed teaching someone as bright and determined as Toka. While sometimes lazy, all she needed was a bit of condescending teasing to motivate her. She reminded him a lot of his younger self. Though he hadn’t needed to put in the same amount of effort, admittedly. That could be due to the level of focus his family had on him in his position. There was also the fact that while he knew his sister better than she did, he would never be as good of a teacher as Tadashi Okazaki. Yori still did his best to come close.

“Earth Style: Iron prison!” Yori shouted, punching the ground.

Toka jumped, not expecting such a large radius jutsu after testing a few smaller ones like flying stones and mudslide. 

“Woah!” she gasped in awe. Her senses told her it was at least a mile radius.

“Alright, Toka, show me how far you can make one of these!” Yori encouraged, crossing his arms smugly. He didn’t expect her to be able to go further than a few feet. He prepared himself to jump out of the way to avoid being impaled.

“I’m ready!” she exclaimed, excited to show off. She made the seals ram-dog-hare-rat. “Earth Style: Iron Prison!”

Yori stood in awe as a towering wall rose from the ground. Not even two hundred feet from where his was erected.

A week ago, she hadn’t been able to make one larger than the boundary lines of their home.

Yori’s face broke out in a huge grin, “You’ve been practicing on your own!” He failed to hide the praise in his voice. He had to throw her a bone sometimes.

Toka let out a sigh of relief at his noticeably impressed tone. She had been practicing non stop for days now. She was eager to show everyone that she was progressing quickly and would, eventually with hard-work, be just as good as Yori.

“How long did it take for you to get that good, huh nii-san?” she teased.

“Oh you know, a few hours…” he bluffed.

Toka blanched, ”A few hours?” She would never catch up to him.

Yori chuckled, amused at her incredulous reaction. “Nah, I’m just kidding. About just as long as you. Thankfully, you’re learning from the best,” he preened. 

Toka rolled her eyes, slightly miffed at his white-lie. Still, she was pleased to learn she was on track.

He gauged her progress on a few other jutsus he had her learning, but before he could assign her a few new exercises, they were interrupted by a very frazzled Nao, Daiki’s second in command.

“Th-they’re back! Y-you need to c-come back r-r-right now!” he stuttered, only popping up from the ground briefly before disappearing again. With Nao’s natural stutter, they were unsure of whether to be relieved or alarmed.

Yori looked over to his sister, her chakra concentration slightly faint, before deciding to swoop her up and secure her on his back before taking off without another word.

Toka had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, Yori’s reaction didn’t help.

They arrived at the Okazaki compound in record time, Toka picked various leaves out of her and her brother's hair from her place still piggyback. In front of the main house, Nao (the mole from earlier), Kemono (a giant beast type mole), Taidana (a droopy-eyed, dog-sized mole), Shizuko (a mole with a small pink bow atop its head courtesy of Chinami, their late mother), and Daiki were all conversing in hushed tones. It was a rare occurrence to see them all together, mostly due to being utilized on special messenger and stake-out missions at any given time.

Yori decided to ignore them and walked straight into the house, in-turn preventing his nosey sister from bothering them. Toka attempted to overhear their conversation, only catching the words ‘discovered,’ and, ‘betrayed.’ 

She didn’t need to be a Kage to know that those were some of the worst words a ninja could hear. This turned her bad feeling to being downright sick.

Yori took them into the main area, where he found their grandfather, grandmother, and uncle all seated around the table with tea. Much like the moles from before, they also seemed to be in a deep, serious discussion.

It was Hisoka to first acknowledge their presence. 

“Yori, Toka! It’s good to see you!” he said in a fake cheerful tone.

Something was definitely wrong.

“Jiji, you can’t-” Toka was cut off with a pinch to her leg. She then realized Yori was holding onto her tightly as if he was ready to take off again, so she decided to read the room and keep quiet. Now wasn’t the time for jokes, apparently.

“Ojiisan, Ojisan. Welcome home,” Yori said respectfully, bowing.

“Thank you, Yori. I hear you’ve been promoted to Jonin. Congratulations. You have always brought great honor to this family,” Hisoka praised, smiling softly at his grandson.

Ikki, their uncle, then spoke up, arms behind his back in his general pose, “And Toka,” her head perked up at the sound of her name, she directed her attention toward her uncle's form, “it’s pleasing to hear that your training has been making bounds under Yori’s supervision. Continue to do well,” he said sternly. Ikki Okazaki was a very stern, stone-faced man, it was rare for him to offer compliments. 

Yori added this to his list of things that weren’t quite right.

Toka smiled and bowed her head as best she could from her position, “Hai.”

“Now then, we have a present for you, Yori. Your uncle and I would like to give it to you in private,” Hisoka said tensely.

“Of course,” he nodded. He put Toka down and put a hand on her face pinching her cheek, “help obaasan with dinner, ok?”

“Ok,” she agreed without complaint. She was too worked up to do otherwise.

Toka watched as the glow of their forms disappeared almost instantly.

“Come, Toka, let’s get dinner ready,” she said, guiding her granddaughter to the kitchen.

The air was still heavy with secrets and unknowns. She badly wanted to ask what was wrong, to know what was going on.

And then she remembered what her brother had said to her a few weeks ago:

_ “Until you’re ready to die for this clan, for your comrades, you will not be bestowed such information. And you won’t ask for it either. For your sake.” _

And so she didn’t. She had to trust that her guardians had the situation under control.

The three Jonin returned after a few hours.

Needless to say, dinner was uncomfortably professional.

Their grandfather, who was normally very playful and teasing (much like their father), was very terse. Ikki wasn’t much different from his normal self, however, he carried an air of exhaustion around him.

In Toka’s opinion, the most concerning trait among the trio was her brother’s appetite, or lack thereof. He kept sneaking his food onto her plate, not taking much in himself. Toka was also lacking in enthusiasm for the meal, but ate the extras anyway as to not draw attention to it.

Later that night, Yori snuck into her room, sitting on the edge of her futon, silently waiting for her to notice him. Toka had been attempting to force herself to sleep. 

She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily, “Nii-san?”

He stayed quiet for a moment, gazing off straightforward as if he was studying something on the wall. 

Secretly, he was scanning the area.

He then finally spoke up, “what would you say is your greatest weakness?”

“Water,” Toka made a face, answering without hesitation.

Yori wanted to laugh. Both out of happiness and amusement. 

He was amused because water release was nearly impossible to learn without sight, and he knew anything to do with the element made her nervous. It made him nervous, too sometimes. It was his weakest element.

The happiness came from her specific answer. Had he asked her a year ago, she would have said her blindness. He was glad she was done feeling sorry for herself.

“What’s yours?” she asked her older brother. It was only fair since he had gotten her answer.

He thought about his answer for a long time, before answering, “You.”

She was taken aback. Her? She wasn’t the strongest, she was barely competent in her techniques compared to the rest of her family, but his biggest weakness?

“Oh…” she said sadly, feeling like a burden.

“No, Toka, it’s not your fault,” he said sighing, putting a reassuring hand on her ankle.

She didn’t know what to say to that. If it wasn’t her fault, whose was it? Was it his? How?

He interrupted her mental onslaught of questions, “wanna see what they gave me for my promotion?” She assumed he meant the present their grandfather and uncle had given him.

“Oh! What is it?!” she said excitedly, her mood changing quickly.

He pulled out three kunai with glowing symbols on them, visible by both Yori and Toka by the light the chakra emitted. 

“Kunai?” she questioned. What was so special about kunai?

Yori chuckled at her tone. These were not ordinary kunai.

“Watch this,” he said, and then threw them into the very thin wall.

Toka gasped, “Baba is going to murder you.” 

“Yeah yeah,” he waved her off, “but now watch this!” He flicked his still outstretched fingers toward him, and the kunai followed suit, returning to his hand! She could see the tendrils that pulled them back to him, very thin, white sparkling strands that connected the kunai to his fingers. 

“That’s amazing! How do they even do that?!” she exclaimed.

“Shh! Quiet down! And it's the symbols. Ojiisan knows a guy and brought them back. Here,” he dug into a pouch he had pulled the first set out of and presented a second set to her. “I want you to have these. Don’t let anyone know you have them.”

“Nii-san, no! These were your present! I-” she started, but he put a hand over her mouth.

“Remember when I said my biggest weakness was you? Your dodging and aim still aren’t good enough, and until it is, you’re my responsibility. I want you to practice with these since you can see them. I need you to get better. Also, I don’t need two sets, since the first come back to me. It’s not like I’d lose them in battle, ya know? So don’t feel bad.”

“But Nii-san yo-” she tried to refuse them again, feeling undeserving of such a gift, but he interrupted her again.

“That’s not even the biggest thing. Now look at this!” he said excitedly.

He pulled out the summoning contract, the words also visible because the entire contract including the ink was infused with chakra.

“That’s…” she said, staring at the contract in amazement and surprise.

“Yup. I know.”

“Does that mean…” she trailed off.

Does that mean their grandfather was stepping down? Already? He was only sixteen!

“No, not for another few years, but he’s giving me the contract early. He said he thinks I’m ready for at least this much for how well your training is going. I haven’t signed it yet, they want to wait for everyone to be there at once,” he explained.

The contract was mostly a formality, but it also granted the summoner more power than the original bond formed through blood and chakra.

She nodded, understanding the decision. Yori, while mischievous and sometimes immature, was very much ready to head the family. She was also relieved her grandfather was giving him a few years to get ready to take it on, though. He had just received his promotion, after all.

“Plus, I can’t become head until I get married.”

Toka snorted at the prospect. “Good luck with that,” she prodded.

Yori flicked her forehead in retaliation and frowned, “Obaasan says I’m ‘a very handsome young man.’”

Toka put a hand on the tender spot, the other falling over her mouth to catch the giggles that were trying to escape. “Wow, full of yourself, too. Make sure to include that in the ad.”

“I don’t have to take this from a dwarf like you!” He pulled her into a headlock and noogied her.

“I’ll be able to beat you up someday! Just wait and see!” she challenged.

He was looking forward to it.

Yori suspected it was around midnight at this point and decided to turn in, reflecting on the day he had ahead of him.

“Now, I’ve kept you up long enough. Get to sleep, ok?” he decided.

“Mm… but I’m not tired,” she said, suppressing a yawn.

“Sure you’re not. And lucky for you, I have an errand to run tomorrow with ojisan, so you get to sleep in. I’d get a head start now if I were you,” he chuckled.

Toka wondered if the errand had anything to do with what happened earlier that day.

“Fine. You have to go to bed, too,” she said, pouting.

“Sleep actually sounds good right now,” he admitted tiredly.

He didn’t have to see her face to know that had probably worried her. 

He was about to leave when, when a small voice stopped him, “nii-san, can you sleep in here tonight?”

Without saying anything more, he pulled his futon from his room next door to the opposite side of hers. Yori decided he felt better sleeping in here. Especially after the news he had received earlier that day.

They fell asleep, comfortable to be in each other's presence.


	3. Lightening

Chapter Three

Toka decided she didn’t like her brother being important.

And what she meant by that was that she was  _ bored _ .

Yori had been gone for a week since the night everything felt off, leaving her alone with her grandparents. Hisoka had calmed down considerably, back to his usual joking self, her grandmother just as strict and studious about her “real-life skills” as ever.

Today, she was learning how to write.

“Now Toka, I know it seems impossible, but I want you to think about this simply: Is there writing that you  _ can  _ see?” her grandmother asked.

“No, how would I-” rolling her eyes, she stopped midway at the seal on the ceiling.

“Oh really? Are you sure about that?” she said smirking, her gaze landing where Toka had paused.

“...seals?”

“Well, yes and no. You can see seals because…?” she prompted, making sure her granddaughter was on the right track. Toka liked to bluff a lot, an unfortunate trait she learned from her brother.

“Because they have chakra, right? So seals use chakra flow?”

“Correct! You’ve never made a seal, so you wouldn’t know. You only got your kokuryuugan a year ago,” Gin thought out loud, “but before you can do that much, you have to get used to writing!'' She nearly skipped to the cupboard where they kept their paper and ink pens.

Back in the day, grandma Gin specialized in using tags in combat, and more specifically, explosive tags. One of the ways their clan earned income was creating different weaponized tags with the difficult chemical chakra formulae that very few bothered to learn. She admired the art of ink and chakra so much, she even apprenticed under a fūinjutsu master for a few years which was, in-fact, part of the reason her grandparents met in the first place.

Their grandmother was a small, thin woman; however she was a force to be reckoned with once she got her hands on a scroll.

She set the items in front of her, clasping her hands together in excitement. “Now, grab the pen and hold it in your hand firmly,” she waited for Toka to have a good grip on the pen. Toka seemed to be focused on something, her tongue poking out of the side of her mouth. 

Uh-oh.

Before Gin could explain that flowing too much chakra to the pen could cause it to explode, the pen blew up with a loud-  _ pop! _

Toka screamed in both surprise and delight, “Whoa! That was awesome! Is it supposed to do that?!” she said grinning with ink splattered on her face. And the wall. And her grandmother. Funnily enough, she could see the splatter marks that were infused with her chakra.

“Oh, baba, you got something on your…” she gestured to her face.

Gin sighed, touching the still-wet ink, “Yes, dear. I know,” she said shaking her head. With a raised eyebrow she remembered, “Didn’t you learn not to do that the last time when you-” she tried to bring up a very  _ particular  _ incident from a year ago, but Toka beat her to the punch.

“Yeah! Um, let’s forget that happened…” she grumbled uncomfortably.

“Well ok, but you need to be more careful! Only a morsel needs to stick to activate a pen for writing!” she scolded.

Toka hung her head, “Yes baba.”

“Try again, I want you to make four straight lines.”

So she tried again, this time only allowing the smallest amount of her chakra to flow to the pen before capping it almost immediately. She assumed this charged the ink inside the pen-for however long- and allowed it to be transferred onto paper to dry permanently.

After a few hours, Toka sat back and admired her work. She decided she didn’t mind her writing lessons because she was actually  _ good  _ at it so long as it met her specific requirements. This became more so when her grandfather explained it was also the only way she could participate in their “special” messages.

Toka didn’t know what that meant, but she liked the sound of it.

Something she also didn’t mind was the time she got to spend with her now more relaxed grandfather. Yori often joked about the elderly man going senile, but she knew he wasn’t much older than sixty- though she didn’t know his actual age. Every time she asked, he would say something along the lines, “Child, I have lived hundreds of lifetimes, each more trying than the last. How else do you think I got so good at Shogi?”

He was silly and liked to make up wise quotes, which is why the way he acted when he returned with her brother and uncle a week ago made her feel unsettled.

Toka figured whatever it was, was being handled or had already passed and now Yori could start training to head the household and rebuild the clan. Though she wasn’t sure what he would do about the marriage part.

She snickered at the thought, catching the attention of Hisoka, “Now what has tiny Toka in a tizzy?” he asked. 

Their current leader was most likely the best person to ask.

“Do you think Yori will get married?” 

The old man considered this for a moment, “I managed to,” he shrugged.

“What does that mean?”

Her grandmother’s figure appeared behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder fondly, “It means if someone as hopeless as your grandfather did it, Yori shouldn’t have much issue. Women are very forgiving.” 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes, your grandfather was an outright  _ scoundrel _ , always playing tricks on me, using Daiki to send me encrypted letters…” she reminisced.

“Daiki? Were they for a secret mission?” Toka asked, her interest peaked. Daiki only took the most important messages for their family. From what she knew, the Okazaki clan was mostly used as secret messengers for the Tsuchikage.

Hisoka grinned, also remembering how he fell in love with his dear Gin, “no, they were love letters of course! And one time, on accident, an explosion. Not that I told Daiki this. That stiff old man would have thrown them down the river!” he laughed at the thought. Toka could clearly see the snooty Daiki refusing to do something so “below him,” as he would say.

“Gross,” was all she offered. Romance was icky, especially to five-year-old Toka, who would rather play in the mud than think about getting married to a boy. Notably one that acted like any of her family members.

Though the explosion thing sounded intriguing. Maybe she could catch Yori off-guard with something like that.

This writing practice continued daily until Toka could write full characters. 

About a week after that, after a particularly long session, Toka found herself lying on her back in the backyard. She was having a ‘conversation’ with the Earth, as she liked to call it. She would lay flat on her back, fingers threaded through the grass or sand, and just  _ feel _ . The vibrations of all the insects and burrowing animals just beneath the Earth’s crust, the gentle gliding of the snakes, the small tremors of  _ life _ their planet gave off. In turn she would respond internally, like a prayer, asking for favors. She liked to believe it listened when she asked for things like making sure her family returned home, or that earthquakes wouldn’t hit the surrounding villages. 

As Yori pointed out before, she didn’t have any friends, and that meant she didn’t have anyone that would listen to her wants, or her worries without feeling like she was talking to a wall or an echo. The Earth was a good outlet to vent to; no arguing or retaliation. Just understanding.

Toka thought so, anyway.

Speaking of the impossible bachelor, she sensed Yori from the doorway, most likely watching her.

“I’m not dead!” she called out, assuring him. 

He approached her and sat next to her sprawled out form.

“What are you doing out here alone?”

“Stargazing,” she joked.

Yori went along with it. “Oh yeah? That’s a hobby of mine,” he pointed to the sky, “that one’s called the big dipper!”

“I thought that was a group of stars?”

Yori fell back into the grass, "who cares, stars are stupid.”

Toka hummed in agreement. Stars were most likely overrated. Everyone raved about them like they controlled the universe, but in reality, they were just balls of light that existed trillions of miles outside the atmosphere.

They weren’t important. Things here were.

“Toka?” Yori asked quietly.

“Yeah?”

“... the Earth’s been kind of quiet lately.”

This caused Toka to whip her head to him in surprise. She briefly wondered if he could read minds. Or pick on her for being the lonely child she was. Maybe both?

He continued staring up. “No quakes, no fights, no fires, no storms…” he trailed off in thought, “it's like it's waiting for something. Or maybe something is happening and it hasn’t gotten here yet.”

“Do you think something bad is going to happen?”

“I think,” Yori sat up and heaved himself to his feet, “whatever happens, will happen.” 

She didn't like how cryptic he was, but remembering her place, she decided to take her brother's words for what they were: all the information he could give her without putting her in a bad position.

So instead, she asked something she hoped he could answer, “are you ready for it?”

“Not in the slightest.” He walked inside, leaving her in the grass with her thoughts.

Toka woke up to… well…. Toka wasn’t sure what exactly woke her up. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe it was intuition.

Whatever it was that had her up at two in the morning, she couldn’t sense it anymore.

…

No wait, she could! It felt like someone was trying to be sneaky. 

Not like the members of her household; if they didn’t want to be sensed, they were basically impossible. No, these footsteps were less practiced, but not by much.

Toka scanned the area for any signals, but couldn’t find any but the ones in her home and the ones neighboring hers, sans her grandfather’s and uncle’s. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, but her grandmother was also missing.

She sensed her brother in the main room of the house instead of his bedroom.

As quick and light as she could, she made her way to meet him, hoping it was him that caused her to awaken, or at least had the answer.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yori felt her approach, but didn’t move. He couldn’t. It was like his limbs were made of lead. He knew what was happening. 

It was never supposed to get this far.

He knew she felt the tension in the air, and against her better judgement, she called out “N-nii-san? “

She rarely called him as such unless she was being sarcastic, or she was vulnerable.

He decided to turn to face her small glowing shape, bright with adrenaline and anxiety.

She felt it, too. But she didn’t know what it was she was feeling.

A year ago today, was the day their father, Tadashi Okazaki, had fallen. And today, at two a.m., Hisoka Okazaki had met the same fate.

He didn’t know where, or how exactly. 

But he knew why.

He also knew they had to leave, but how? They were surrounded. They were slowly closing in, moving about one hundred feet every five minutes all at once. 

Yori determined they had ten minutes until the end of their existence.

He thought of the tunnels, but knew they would be intercepted easily.

He thought of the seals hidden throughout their compound, created by the strongest woman he knew, but they would only defend for so long. And knowing their creator as well as he did, they most likely weren’t stealthy.

He thought about fighting them off. He knew he would lose. There were at least seven of them, and one and a fifth of him.

Yori brought his attention back to Toka. Whatever he did, he had to get her somewhere safe. He knew what would happen if they got a hold of her.

In the protective action that was now muscle memory, he tossed Toka onto his back and took off toward the front of the village. He knew what he had to do, it was the only viable option.

Not a good option, but the only one.

They made it to their destination in less than a minute flat. Yori felt it was too short. Yori briefly grieved his and his sister’s adolescence.

They were still young, her much more so than him. For a moment, he allowed himself to feel cheated and angry. He snuffed those feelings out as soon as he identified them.

Setting his baby sister on the ground in front of him, he grabbed the sides of her arms to both steady her and ground him. She was trembling, badly. “Do you know what happened?”

“N-no,” she responded, her voice heavy. She was on the verge of crying out of fear,

“Ojiisan is dead. Something really bad happened.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She didn’t know how to respond other than with tears. He didn’t pull her toward him to comfort her, not yet. They didn’t have time.

“Now I need you to listen, because what I’m going to tell you next is really scary. I need you to be a real shinobi. Can you do it?”

Toka sniffled and tried to calm down, knowing what was to come was going to be much worse, “Are you going to leave?”

“No,” he frowned sadly, “you are.”

“W-what?!” she asked, not understanding.

“I need you to run toward the Land of Grass, there’s a place called Kusagakure. I should be able to meet up with you before you get that far, but…” he trailed off.

But if he didn’t make it, he needed her to take care of herself.

“Nii-san, I can’t do this without you! I’m not good enough!” Toka wanted to argue. She could feel them now, the ninja she and Yori were running from. She didn’t know why they were coming after them, why they had to leave their home, or why their grandfather had died, but she knew it was much bigger than the both of them and this wasn’t something she thought she could deal with on her own.

And now Yori wanted her to run aimlessly into the trees and mountains, to a land and village she had never been to, because he felt he was a better target if she wasn’t with him.

This felt very unfair.

“I also need your jacket. I'm going to drape it over my backpack to make it look like you're on my back,” he shrugged his own jacket off and draped it around Toka’s now bare arms. It was much too big on her, but it would keep her warm in place of the one he had taken.

After securing the jacket sleeves around his neck, he pulled Toka in for, what just may be, the last time he would ever hug his sister.

“I know you are very young, and this doesn’t make very much sense because you don’t know what’s going on, but I need you to try and make it through this. You are exceptionally good with the skills you have. You. Can. Survive. You will make it to Kusagakure. You need to find a man named Jiraya, he’s staying there temporarily. You cannot tell anyone else what happened here,” he hugged her to him tighter, “Do you understand? Not until you meet him. If you do, you will die.” He made sure she knew the situation was grave. He needed her to understand though what he was asking of her was painful to him, but that there was no other scenario that could end with her life still intact.

He hated he couldn’t even guarantee that.

Toka understood what was about to happen was necessary. She wouldn’t argue, she needed to be a shinobi.

“Please find me,” she whispered through tears, her arms around his neck.

Yori sniffled, scared out of his mind, but determined, “I’ll do everything in my power. I promise.”

Yori stood back, sobering up and clearing his mind. He had pinned down the location of all seven nin. They were nearly here. He would have to catch the attention of one of them, and collect the rest as he ran to allow Toka a clean break.

She wouldn’t be able to fight even one of them off, so he couldn’t make any mistakes.

“You need to go southeast exactly. I’ll take care of the rest. If I can, I’ll eventually catch up to you. Please, Toka, be careful.”

“Y-you too, nii-san.”

He watched her disappear into the brush.

Just over the walls of the village, he heard an explosion. 

‘Excellent work, grandmother,’ he thought to himself. The smell of lightning was in the air. If he was correct, that should have been the product of his favorite seal in the entrance of the main house.

Time to get to work.

  
  


***Author’s note: Ahhhhhh yes, my favorite genre,  **angst.** Yeah, things are happening. 

Some things I would like to address before we continue on: 

  * Toka is 5. Toka has the mentality of someone around twice her age. Her training, and her clan's customs require her to grow up really fast, so she might be handling situations in ways you may not perceive of a normal 5-year-old. Toka seems to be that thing starting with a P…. porridge? Perpendicular? Oh yeah, a prodigy!
  * Lore around seals, tags, and Fūinjutsu is sparse and can be confusing at times. Some of the things I reference may not be official canon, but its how I interpret the ‘science’ behind how these react and their creation. Let me know if I completely miss the mark, but don’t get caught too off guard if there's no evidence to support something I may or may not throw in for plot and flavor. 



(I have to put in this disclaimer due to something that happened the first time I wrote this fic. While normally, I show and don't tell, I’m tired.)

Thank you  [ garneauyoann ](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/14491157/garneauyoann) for your review! 

And to anyone who might have something to say: I. Love. Reviews.

More than coffee, more than my switch, and maybe even more than anime?

Please stick with me as we continue into whatever the heck this is.***********

  
  
  



	4. Fate

Chapter Four

The blazing sun left Toka’s skin a patchy, blistering mess. There were only small bundles of trees, the rest of the landscape consisted of large expanses of hard, dried dirt and sand. Her bare feet bled from wear and tear, though she long forgot her pain. There was only forward. There was only her, alone. Running.

She ran for days, hours at a time without stopping.

She was tired.

She was hungry.

She had cuts and bruises from the times she had fallen or miscalculated. But she knew she could not stop. She had to get to Kusagakure. She had to find the man by the name Jiraiya. 

She would complete her mission.

After about a week of water and dodgy-tasting soldier pills she found in the pockets of her brother's coat (they were most likely of his own creation), Toka was running out of steam. She knew she was still heading southeast, but she had no idea how far she was. It wasn’t like she could see the color of the grass or leaves. She didn’t even know where the sun was in the sky!

Weakly, she stumbled through a small grouping of trees that provided solace for her weeping skin, holding her arm from a particularly vicious cut that was caused by tripping into a bush some time earlier.

“I hate going to the mines! I was supposed to play with my friends today!” whined what seemed to be a young boy.

“Maybe you should have considered that before worrying your mother last night,” said an older male.

Toka suddenly stopped.

Voices. Her kokuryuugan was very weak in her current state-she didn’t have very much chakra to keep it activated-causing her to rely on her Earth sense to get around for the time being. She could deduce that these voices belonged to civilians. A middle aged man and most likely his son.

Toka crept closer and attempted to get near enough to size them up. 

She knew better than to activate her eyes with so little chakra in her system. Her mentors drilled into her what happened to a ninja if they used all their chakra.

They died.

Despite this, Toka figured they would find her soon enough, and she wanted to know who she was up against if she was found. She mustered up what was left of her chakra reserves. She activated her kokuryuugan and-

She fell forward onto the path in front of them. Face first.

A high-pitched scream erupted from the boy, the man pushing him behind himself in defense. They then calmed down significantly when they realized the form of the vicious animal that tried to attack them: An unconscious girl. A weak looking one at that.

They approached her slowly, worried she would wake up and confirm their previous fears by pouncing on them. But she just laid there, pitifully.

The boy used the stick in his possession to poke her limp body, a look of morbid curiosity on his face, “Papa, is she dead?” 

“I don’t think so, Shinji. But she might as well be if we leave her here…” he crouched down and placed two fingers on her neck. There was a pulse, but it was faint. He nodded to himself and hummed in confirmation.

“Shinji, your cloak,” he demanded. He needed to keep her out of the sun. It was hot, but keeping her in the direct sunlight was worse than being covered at the moment. He could make out the harsh scarlette that plagued her skin in angry blotches. That, coupled with the thick sheen of sweat and untreated cuts, he would guess she had been going for about a week. 

In the end, it was her age that made him hesitate. There was only one way a child this small would have lasted this long. He thought back to the rest of his family at home, wondering if it was a good idea to get involved with whatever was happening here. 

They weren’t too far from Iwa.

He then peered at his son's expression that was starting to morph into an almost unnoticeable panic and he made his decision. He turned around and started to walk the path they had just come.

Shinji followed behind cautiously. He was unsure of what had happened to the broken girl his father was carrying, and he was too afraid to ask. He knew he would get a truthful answer from a man like his father as he wasn't the type to sugar-coat anything. Shinji learned at an early age to leave stuff like this to the adults.

They eventually arrived at a small home by a river. There were no neighbors in viewing distance. Shinji bolted ahead of his father and called out for his mother, who was feeding his baby sister at the table. “Mama! We need your help!” 

She stood up immediately and rushed to the front of the house, “Watch your sister.”

“Arata,” she called. Her husband approached her with a large mass of  _ something  _ in his arms covered by her son's cloak.

“Keomi, we need to get her in the house,” he brushed past her through the entrance, leaving his bewildered wife to stare after him in shock.

“Her?” she followed him into the main area and realized he had no place to set ‘her.’ She quickly pulled a spare futon from the closet and made a bed.

Arata laid the girl down on the newly made bed and uncovered her. 

Keomi stopped for a moment, eyes wide, and then silently proceeded to get to work. While she didn’t know what was going on, she knew that her husband didn’t bring this girl home to gawk at. She disappeared into the other room for only a few seconds before coming back with a well-stocked medical bag.

“Go check on the children. We can talk about this later,” she ordered, her eyes not leaving her patient. Arata was silent when he nodded and left the room. He knew this would happen if he brought a wounded stranger home. Especially a child.

She started to remove pieces of clothing from the girl’s tender body to get a better assessment of her state. Her gaze was no longer panicked and motherly as she went into ‘field-medic mode,' though her eyes were not cold. As she wiped away the peeling skin and disinfected the angry looking gashes, she didn't flinch or pause for even a moment. Her hands moved in a way that was both meticulous and precise; of those of a trained medical nin.

Most of the damage resided on the girl's left side, Keomi speculated briefly if she was left dominant or just unlucky. After applying bandages to her left arm and shoulder, she stepped back to give her patient one more once over. 

Her skin looked better already, while the same shade of red, it was no longer peeling and cracked. The visible cuts on her face, arms, and legs were seeming much less irritated now that they were clean. The bandages were neat and tight-but not too tight. 

The child's feet, however… Keomi had barely touched them when the girl's entire body jerked, her toes curling tightly. She had decided to leave them alone for the time being, only rinsing them with water for a moment to make them acceptable.

She was curious why she wasn't wearing any shoes, but shook the thought away. She knew all too well that danger did not wait for you to prepare. 

Keomi entered the kitchen where her family was gathered around the table. "She has a slight fever, but I got her ready to start healing. Whatever she was running from, it must have been bad. She has no shoes and is completely dehydrated. It seems she's been eating poorly made soldier pills and nothing else. " 

It seemed she and Arata had followed the same line of thought.

She was probably of ninja descent.

**And someone wanted her dead** .

Shinji looked between his parents, watching his father’s shoulders tense and his mother's eyes harden. 

He then pushed back from the table and stood up abruptly. “Let’s go play, Mio!” He then picked up his baby sister from her place at the table and carried her to their room. 

“How did Shinji react?” Keomi asked at a low volume once she suspected their son was out of earshot.

“He tried to seem uninterested, but I think he’s worried. I don’t know if he knows what happened, but I wouldn’t put it past him. That kid is too smart for his own good.” Arata cracked his knuckles out of nervousness.

“If you keep doing that, your fingers will fall off,” Keomi said, mostly teasing.

He rolled his eyes, “Yes Dr.Shimizu,” he said, throwing his hands up at her nagging.

Satisfied, Keomi made her way to the stove and set out a large pot. “I’m going to start on dinner, she’s probably hungry. I think miso soup would be light enough for her to start. I’ll make some extras to go along with it.”

“I would probably die of starvation without you,” Arata proclaimed dramatically. Sometimes, he didn’t understand why this intelligent, patient, breath-taking being married him. She truly was a wonder for putting up with him, especially after what he brought her today.

Keomi kissed his cheek and went back to work, prepping the ingredients for the soup and sides.

Meanwhile, Shinji had distracted Mio with a noisy toy and slipped out of their shared room to peek at their house guest. 

Her condition surprised him. She looked much less intimidating now that she wasn’t visibly armed and covered in dust and dirt. It seemed that his mother had dressed her in some of his old clothes that he had grown out of and bangaged her injuries. She was still sunburned, though. He remembered the last time he had stayed outside for too long, and hoped she would recover quickly. 

He got closer and noticed three sharp, pointed knives beside the bed. He recognized them from their meeting. They were gold with brown wrapping around the base and finger-sized holes at the ends. What he was most curious about were the symbols etched into the blades. They didn’t say anything distinguishable, looking almost like kanji, but not quite. He reached out his hand to touch them, something about them peaking his curiosity- but a hand stopped him and made him jump back in surprise.

The girl’s hand had reached out and grabbed his wrist. Her eyes were still closed, but she had stopped breathing. He was so shocked, he couldn’t find his voice. He silently panicked and tried to pull his hand away, but to no avail. He didn’t shout because he knew he was doing something he shouldn’t have. 

After pulling for what seemed like hours, she finally let go, sending him to fall back on his behind.

He panted and held his hand close to his chest. It was sore, but he doubted it would bruise. During all of this, she had not opened her eyes even once. He would have never guessed she was that strong as she was much smaller than himself. As a test, he squeezed his own wrist. His grip was nowhere near as intense as the one he had just experienced.

After going back and forth between panicking and taking deep breaths, Shinji realized she still hadn’t taken a breath. She was still as stone.

“A-are you awake?”

‘ _ Was she even alive?’  _ he thought.

After a few seconds, he saw her nose twitch slightly.

And then she sneezed.

“I knew it! Why did you grab me like that?!” he demanded suddenly, annoyed at her deception and for frightening him like she had. Shinji wasn’t usually this bold, but something about how this little girl had manhandled him had wounded his pride.

At first she wasn’t going to say anything, but then figured he already knew she was awake and ignoring him would be a moot point.

“Keep your hands off of my stuff,” she tried to say pointedly, but it came out like a breathy growl.

Shinji balked at her and then pouted,”I-I was just looking!” 

“No you weren’t, I saw you.” She hadn’t.

“No you didn’t! Your eyes were closed!”

“So you were reaching for my knives?”

“I… I wasn’t going to steal them,” he finally admitted.

“Don’t touch them, you could hurt yourself,” she stated.

Shinji was offended by this and scoffed, “I’m older than you! I think I could touch a knife without hurting myself.”

“Yeah… okay…”

“Forget you! I better go tell my mom you’re awake,” he tried to sound threatening, but he mostly wanted to retreat to his mother for comfort.

Toka hazily remembered the lady who had expertly cleaned her up earlier, assuming that was who he was referring to.

“Um… What’s your name?”

She considered lying, but then decided against it. She figured that if they wanted her dead, she would be. “My name is Toka.”

“I’m Shinji Shimizu. Don’t- uh- don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

“Got it,” she said sarcastically. Her limbs still wouldn’t respond. She was surprised that she found the strength to pull that stunt earlier. 

Moments later, someone entered the room hurriedly and kneeled beside her. Toka didn’t move, but that hadn’t fazed her caretaker.

“I know you’re awake. Are you able to sit up?” Her voice had a pleasant lilt to it, like bells or wind chimes.

Toka, not wanting to burden the woman, tried to sit herself up with the little strength she had, but came crashing down as quickly as she had started. Keomi put a gentle hand on Toka’s shoulder, “Woah there, it’s ok to ask for help. Here,” she then put her hands behind her back and slowly sat her up. She placed a pillow on the wall behind her and propped her up.

Toka blushed at the assistance, but was thankful. Then, all at once, she realized her thirst. She coughed, her throat was unpleasantly sore and her mouth was drier than the Land of Wind.

As if on cue, Keomi had a glass of water in front of her face, “drink,” and proceeded to tip the cup to her lips. Toka finished the entire glass in seconds.

“Shinji says your name is Toka. I’m Keomi, and the man who brought you here is Arata. I also have a daughter named Mio.”

Toka felt a pang of grief as she thought of her own family. Her grandparents… her uncle…  _ her brothe _ r… 

“I-I see…” she wasn’t sure how to respond politely.

Keomi then noticed Toka hadn’t opened her eyes yet. She worried that she may have damaged her eyes. “Dear, are your eyes okay?”

Toka winced. She had purposely kept them closed. She knew if they were visible, they would either know she had a dojutsu, or was blind. If anyone were to be looking for her, either of those would be an identifying feature. However, if she didn’t tell her, she may try and inspect them anyway. 

She slowly opened her eyes, but did not use her kokuryuugan.

Keomi quietly gasped in surprise. Toka’s milky green eyes had no visible pupils.

Toka felt her grab her face suddenly and inspect it closely. “Oh my! Did you-”

She chuckled, the noise sounding pitiful and weak, “I-I’m okay! My eyes are fine. I’m… blind?” Toka didn’t know why she was telling this stranger so much, but something about the way the woman’s soft hands felt on her face made her more transparent than she ought to be. She supposed it wasn't unlike the way her grandmother used to check her over, though her hands were much less textured than the older woman’s.

Or maybe it was the worry in her voice. She had already done so much for her. She didn’t deserve the fret.

Keomi blushed and pulled away quickly, slightly embarrassed at her response. While she tried to remain professional, she was still a mother.

“O-oh, sorry about that! It’s just the state you arrived here in….” She was enormously relieved to see the injured child, who looked lifeless only hours before, up and speaking. “I tried to bandage you up the best I could. How are you feeling?”

Toka took a moment to assess her own condition. She was immensely sore, but overall, in much better shape. The past week had been a blur, she hadn’t remembered much. The cozy cottage was a welcome change of scenery. 

“I got hurt a lot. I should have been more careful,” she admitted, ashamed. She knew better than to allow herself to become so  _ weak _ . Yori wouldn’t have let himself become so dangerously exhausted. Toka was just so focused on following his orders that she neglected her well-being. 

_ ‘A mission is null if the ninja ceases to exist. Risk is necessary, as is determination, but death is strongly advised against and extremely irresponsible,’ -Hisoka Okazaki _

Only her grandfather would call death irresponsible. She supposed what he did was pretty irresponsible. Another wave of crippling sadness pierced her heart, but she refused to show that to Keomi. Her pain, her mission, her origin, these were all things she could not share.

Keomi’s mothering was nothing short of paradise compared to what she had experienced the past few days. This all seemed too good to be true. This should have been a group of assassins, and she should have been dead already.

She felt like she deserved to be dead for being so careless. While she was alive, Toka considered herself still a failure.

Toka realized this and her face turned red in embarrassment as she muttered quietly, "Thank you. I will try to get better quickly,” and bowed her head respectfully. 

Keomi stopped fiddling with the sheets of her bed and pulled a face, “Toka,” she started hesitantly, “is there anything I need to know?” She didn’t like the way Toka was so closed off. She also didn’t like being in the dark, especially if it could put her family in danger.

Not that she would feed the little girl to the wolves, she would never think of doing such an inhumane thing. However, she had to think of her own little ones.

Taking a deep breath, Toka answered truthfully, “I can’t stay here a long time,” and against her better judgement, followed with, “I need to get to Kusagakure.” She hoped she didn’t need to go into details. Not many traveled to the small village hidden in the grass unless they were looking to trade, or asylum.

This confirmed Keomi and Arata’s suspicions. She agreed with the little girl being she couldn’t stay with them long. It seemed that her guest was attempting to seek asylum, and if she was from the hidden village, her prospects were grim if she were going to attempt such a feat on her own.

Keomi was going to continue her constricted investigation, when her train of thought was interrupted by Toka’s audibly displeased stomach.

“Ah, yes, I figured you would need something when you woke up judging by the soldier pills in the jacket you were wearing,” she started, but stopped when she saw the panic on Toka’s face and hastily explained, “it was caked in sand and sweat, I hope washing it didn’t take away the sentimentality.” 

Toka sighed in relief, “Sorry… someone important gave it to me. Thank you, you didn’t have to.”

“It was no problem!” she sniffed the air and determined the soup was most likely done and ready to eat, “I made miso, I hope that’s ok with you. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to give you anything heavy just yet.”

Despite not being particularly rich or sweet, miso soup was a personal favorite of Toka’s.  _ It reminded her of her grandmother _ , she thought sadly.

“That sounds great, thank you for thinking about me.” Toka really couldn’t thank her caregiver enough. She wondered if she worked as a medic with such compassion for potentially dangerous strangers. 

After two healthy portions of Keomi’s delicious soup and another nap ( _ read: 24- hour sleep _ ), Toka awoke feeling exceptionally better than she had. To her delight, she found her limbs while still sore, responsive.

She decided to celebrate her newly found mobility with a glass of water to sooth her still raw throat.

Before making the trip, Toka made sure to activate her kokuryuugan, steadying herself before doing so out of a reflex most likely caused by her most recent mistake. She saw two taller figures in what she assumed to be the kitchen, judging by the heaviness of the items that felt most like a refrigerator and stove. Likely Arata and Keomi.

She couldn’t avoid them in their own home, but Toka was still nervous. While she had healed quicker than she expected, she wasn’t ready to be out in the elements quite yet. 

She was worried they would throw her out if they saw her up and about.

Toka considered going back to her futon, when a voice called out to her, “Shinji, is that you?” 

She’d been caught, a feeling of defeat came over her as she shuffled into view, “No, ma’am. It’s me.”

Arata had to do a double take. She was already up and walking? That definitely was not normal. Most grown men would need a week or two to recover to the point she had. Keomi looked unfazed and even sent her a smile, not really caring that her target wouldn’t be able to receive it. She was overjoyed at the fact the chakra pills she had dissolved in the soup had made such a difference. “Toka, dear, it’s good to see you’re recovering quickly! Please, take a seat. I’ll get you a glass of water,” Keomi said on the verge of demanding, pulling out a chair at the end of the table.

Sheepishly, Toka sat down where she felt the chair move and kept her head down. She knew what this was about.

A glass of water was set in front of her, but she didn’t touch it. Keomi settled back into her seat.

Toka decided to start before they could speak her fears, “I’m sorry I’ve been such a burden, that wasn’t supposed to happen. I- I can’t tell you what happened. I understand if you want me to leave. At this rate, I should be strong enough by morning, I promise!” she said frantically. Her legs are still shaky, and she doubted she could run in her current state, but she would be mobile enough to gain some distance before taking cover somewhere. They must have noticed how quickly she recovered. No one ran away into the middle of nowhere without food, water, or shoes for fun. She knew being here was dangerous.

“Toka… you don’t have to leave just yet,” Keomi said.

“You don’t understand, I-” she tried to argue, but she was cut off.

“We do. A few more days won't hurt. We can’t let you go out on your own just yet,” Keomi said gently, trying not to insult her. 

“I’m sorry,” Toka said, ashamed. She was ashamed to be receiving help. She was ashamed to need that help.

“Don’t be,” it was Arata who spoke up this time, “I brought you here with the suspicion of where you game from. You think a little girl like you miles away from the nearest city could be anything but a ninja?”

Toka was both relieved and anxious that they had some semblance of why she was here.

“Maybe I was playing a long game of hide and seek,” she tried to joke. In a sense, she wasn’t.

“Mhm, sure. Would you mind telling us whose “it?” he challenged. 

Toka stayed quiet.

“No? Then maybe we can talk about Kusagakure?” he tried again, trying to get  _ some  _ information.

Toka winced. She forgot she had confessed that much earlier that day. “I won’t be safe until I get there.”

“Then it’s settled, we’ll take you there,” Arata said determined. Both Keomi and Toka looked at him in shock at his offer, one that Toka had no intentions of accepting.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that,” she said with a sad smile.

“Sure you can. Keomi, I need to bring materials to Kusagakure in the next few days. She can ride on the wagon,” he said unfazed.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if-”

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t let you do that. Really, I just need another day,” she tried to dissuade him.

Arata shook his head in denial, “So little faith. I got her here okay, didn’t I?” he said, attempting to placate his worried wife. He turned back to Toka, “Look, ninja or not, you’re still a little kid. I can’t let you go on your own. You say you can get there by yourself, but it didn’t seem that way when I had to carry you here to have my wife put you back together.”

Toka grimaced, not having an argument.

He continued, “Furthermore, if you’re on the wagon, you’ll be out of sight. I know there are ninjas with special powers, but unless you killed the Kage, I doubt they have anyone too high up after you,” he said confidently, and then considered the world they lived in, “...you didn’t kill the Kage, right?”

Toka almost laughed, but instead shook her head and put her hands up in front of her, “No! Of course not!” she confirmed, and then frowned, “I don’t even know what happened, really.”

“Oh,” Keomi said out loud. She hadn’t meant to, but suddenly she understood what Toka probably meant: It was something her parents did.

Arata decided he had overwhelmed her enough for the night. She would be gone before daylight if he didn’t back off, “Tell you what, sleep on it. Please at least stay until dinner tomorrow, and we can revisit this.”

“I think that’s a great idea!” Keomi said pointedly, wanting to discuss this plan with her husband herself.

Toka decided she would humor him with no intentions of accepting his offer, “Ok, but only until tomorrow night.” 

“That’s all I ask.”

**********************************************************************

Hey! Scythe here! This went out later than I intended, and that’s on me. This is my first day off in a week, and I have another five days straight after this… so there's that. Good news: Chapter 5 is in editing! Already written, just need to rip it apart and put it back together a bit. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and feel compelled to tell me how you really feel. Thank you to those who have left reviews and/or have shown some signs of life by favoriting and following this story! As well as my very few kudos from AO3 (im kind of new to writing on the platform, sorry if my chapters look weirdly formatted.) 

I love you guys!


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